She needs her privacy as well. Yes, she's a princess but she also needs a level of privacy and respect and time off. I don't think a lot of people would like having their swimsuit photos splashed on magazine covers around the country. We'll never be in their shoes so we don't know what they are thinking or feeling. Yes,it is a life of privilege and great responsibility but they are people as well and as such they need a time out from the photographers and paparazzi. Remember how they drove Princess Diana to the brink of despair?

I think that if she doesn't want to be photographed wearing a bikini on the beach then she shouldn't go to the beach wearing a bikini!

You can't have it both ways, Mary!

I agree with this. Mary has been in the public eye for several years now officially as Frederik's fiancee and now his wife and the mother of the future King of Denmark. She knows how important her appearance is — this is why she dresses very nicely for her royal engagements rather than showing up in jeans and a work shirt. And even though it was a private holiday, there have been many private moments of her life that have been photographed and published. This doesn't make it right, but it's the facts of any public figure's life and it was one of the (many) tradeoffs of going from private Mary Donaldson to Crown Princess Mary of Denmark.

Additionally, this was a public beach at which Mary was swimming at. Who says that photographers can't go to a public beach where they happen to know that the CP couple are holidaying and snap pictures? If this were a pool of a private residence at which Mary was swimming at and some photographer used a long lens zoom to shoot Mary in a bikini that would be a different issue altogether. Mary would have every right to be angry and upset.

I believe I read in this very thread about how thoughtful Mary was about all the hordes of press who were waiting Frederik and Mary when they came home with Christian from the hospital. Frederik wanted to carry newborn Christian right into the home but Mary convinced him to pose for a few minutes with the baby. She said that all these people had waited outside their home and that they shouldn't just ignore them but spend a few minutes and pose. I thought that this was a very nice gesture of Mary. Especially since she and Frederik had already spent all that time posting at the hospital, that like any woman who had just delivered a baby, she would just want to go home and rest and be with her baby.

It's such a juxtaposition between the story about Christian's birth and the bikini beach story. I think she can't have it both ways: The media attention when she's ready or wants it but not to have the media attention when she isn't ready. Being in the public eye is about media scrutiny daily in all scenarios.

I take the story about how upset Mary was with a large grain of salt. She didn't look upset in any of the pictures, and I'm sure some of them happened after she swam.

And I'm not sure why she would be upset anyway - The bikini was not especially revealing, and Denmark is not a country where people are shocked by women wearing bikinis.

I think the whole "incident" was just something to write about in accompaniment to the pictures. They could have just as well gone with "so in love - Mary and Fred frolic in the water like honeymooners" or "Mary's shocking weight loss revealed in new bathing suit pictures!" (I should get a job writing tabloid headlines!)

I've also read the stories surrounding the birth of Christian and how Mary asked Frederik to pause before entering their home, but it was to acknowledge the many town people who had gathered to welcome them home.

If you look at the beach pictures, it seems like a fairly secluded area with no apparent members of the public and so it would seem like taking pictures is an invasion of privacy. I would say otherwise if Mary had been prancing around in a bikini on a crowded beach.

I agree with this. Mary has been in the public eye for several years now officially as Frederik's fiancee and now his wife and the mother of the future King of Denmark. She knows how important her appearance is — this is why she dresses very nicely for her royal engagements rather than showing up in jeans and a work shirt. And even though it was a private holiday, there have been many private moments of her life that have been photographed and published. This doesn't make it right, but it's the facts of any public figure's life and it was one of the (many) tradeoffs of going from private Mary Donaldson to Crown Princess Mary of Denmark.

Additionally, this was a public beach at which Mary was swimming at. Who says that photographers can't go to a public beach where they happen to know that the CP couple are holidaying and snap pictures? If this were a pool of a private residence at which Mary was swimming at and some photographer used a long lens zoom to shoot Mary in a bikini that would be a different issue altogether. Mary would have every right to be angry and upset.

I believe I read in this very thread about how thoughtful Mary was about all the hordes of press who were waiting Frederik and Mary when they came home with Christian from the hospital. Frederik wanted to carry newborn Christian right into the home but Mary convinced him to pose for a few minutes with the baby. She said that all these people had waited outside their home and that they shouldn't just ignore them but spend a few minutes and pose. I thought that this was a very nice gesture of Mary. Especially since she and Frederik had already spent all that time posting at the hospital, that like any woman who had just delivered a baby, she would just want to go home and rest and be with her baby.

It's such a juxtaposition between the story about Christian's birth and the bikini beach story. I think she can't have it both ways: The media attention when she's ready or wants it but not to have the media attention when she isn't ready. Being in the public eye is about media scrutiny daily in all scenarios.

Well I could write another post but as it would be identical to this I will give you lots of credit Alexandria, for another of your sensible and logical posts. We have seen lots of photos of other royals - even a pregnant Di - in bikinis so don't know what the problem is. It is the cost of being a royal.

I can totally understand Mary. She has always maintained a high degree of dignity and conducted herself impeccably. She does not wear revealing clothing in general and if she wanted to be seen in a bikini she would wear one on a public beach. This was a private holiday. How would you like to wake up to headlines screaming "Mary, lay off the ice cream!" or "Nice stretch marks!". As much as I enjoy "Royal watching" I think they are entitled to their privacy too and snooping around their beach is just plain "peeping"!

she was in public, secluded or not. that allows people to take pics ogf her in bikini. photos from the french castel are of a different matter of course, since taht would be invasion of privacy, considered its private property

She does not wear revealing clothing in general and if she wanted to be seen in a bikini she would wear one on a public beach. This was a private holiday.

I have no oppinion on the story or the picture but just because they were on a private vacation does not make the beach less public, there were other people there although not St Tropez crowded The danish beaches are beautiful, many places sand as far as the eye can see, but they are not secluded IMO.

I don't think Mary's upset about the bikini pictures. She may have preferred for them not to be taken but she's not stupid. She's a Crown Princess in public wearing a bathing suit. She knew she was going to be photographed.

This is the press's way of drumming up sales for their magazine. Mary has had respectful press for the last 3-4 years. Now that an heir has arrived and there is nothing new on the horizon, (new pregnancy) they need to invent stories about the family as a way to keep sales up and "interest" in the royals.
Each new princess in modern times who has entered a Royal House has enjoyed a positive press and then it can turn quite negative. There are exceptions of course, Leti, Maxi and MM, but on the whole this seems to be the drill for the press: love them and then tear them down!
Linda 85
Just my opinion of course. !!

Mary essentially gave up her freedom - the freedom that "regular" people have. Now she really isn't free or even much, much less so than other people. She must've known that that was part of the package with being a princess and a CP to boot! She has lost much of her freedom besides the picture-taking while on vacation, i.e., she doesn't get to spend holidays with her family and friends. She spends that time with Fred's family - her in-laws. Every year they're expected to spend some vacation time with Fred's parents, even though M&F also take their own vacations. However, it always seems to be the same places - ugh! She has to act a certain way, look a certain way, speak only about certain topics, etc. I guess you'd have to give someone a lot monetarily/materialistically to get them to marry into to a life like that

Imagine, this is how her life will be (or at least as long as they're married) for 30+ yrs.!!!!! That's a l - o- n- g time!

She has had to push aside, so to speak, her own family & friends. I can't imagine that is easy, but I guess all of the CPs have to do that; for getting so much, they give up so much. That was their choice.

Like someone said: you can't have your cake and eat it too.

Personally, I'd rather be filthy rich (& not a celebrity, etc.) and still have my freedom.